Great post, very insightful.

I think it sucks that you're unwilling to do drugs now simply because of your experience. It's obviously a smart move on your end for a variety of reasons, but just shows what a stupid justice system we have, where people who are committing crimes that have a significantly greater socioeconomic impact are getting sentences equal to or less than yours.

Also, I can understand how your opinion of capital punishment can change after having spent time in the system, having seen people face to face that most people would never encounter in a lifetime.

What percent of inmates in there for violent crimes would you estimate have some sort of mental/personality disorder? I don't think this is an issue people have adressed enough.

MT2R,

I meant to ask you last night: how long do you think Aceshigh7 would last in prison before he got shivved?

Awesome thread.

MT2R,
great thread.
all it needed was lesbians.
(or pics of ex-gf)

or pics of 'California'

This thread continues to affirm my belief that I would die in prison.

Great thread, very interesting. I'm always intrigued by those shows on TV about prisons but they always seem to show the dramatic pieces and not the everyday kinda stuff.

Again, excellent thread. Thanks for taking the time to write it all down.

nice post.

Just one question... Isn't GHB a Schedule III drug, ala ketamine, etc.? How did you get convicted of PCS for a sched I? Is the law different in Illinois than the rest of the country?

OP rulz.

Glad you came out of that stronger bro. Ship that holla!

Other than jobs, is there any other way that having been in prison affects you after you get out? For example, do you get searched at the airport, or do casinos watch you more frequently, stuff like that? More difficult to get a mortgage?

Great post, so I feel bad asking this stupid question. In an earlier post you called yourself a "convict." I was thinking about this the other day, but I always assumed the term came from actually being convicted. Since you pled out, you weren't really convicted, right (or is that wrong?)? Or has the term just evolved to roll everyone who serves time into one term? Like I said, stupid question, but it came up the other day.

MT2R:

Great read, very well-written and informative (with pictures! ).

I'm sorry you had to go through this experience, but it seems to have helped mold you into who you are now, and from all accounts, that's a pretty cool dude.

FWIW, our drug laws are draconian and I always vote for legalization when I have the chance.

Best TR ever!

This was a great read.. thank you very much

As a 20 year old that has never been to prison I don't know much other than what you see in movies (and it sounds like the action parts match up, it's just the time when nothing happens that you don't see in film).

Something I have always wondered about were prison tattoos.. was there a professional in there that you could see with permission? or was it just other inmates that did it, if so how did they have the utensils to do it?

edit: this quote from that urban dictionary link cracked me up "you better gimmie dat cornbread son, or you finna get shanked!" said inmate dontrelle to his cellmate"

How was Chris Churchill doing in prison? He was younger than all the other prisoners, plus I'm sure he wasn't too popular due to the nature of his crimes.

vikefan,

no professionals as far as i know. the ink comes from rubbing dominos on the pavement and gathering the dust. the needle is from a staple from a magizane spine.

Awesome TR, MT2R

turn, good thread. the criminilization of drugs is one of the US's worst social injustices.

what were the circumstances of your arrest?

Nice thread

Surely you can think of ten worst social injustices than the current drug laws.

maybe you didnt read my post.

oh yeah, I fell asleep right as I was remembering the other option. Within the IDOC, there is a PC (protective custody) system. The prison counselors/guards/etc are extremely reluctant to send anyone there. Basically, it's a lockdown bank of cells designed to keep prisoners away from inmates in the general pop. I heard that some of the other people threatened by Claifornia ended up in PC. They had to request it and get it approved.

So, there is always the chance of going to PC. Basically, you don't get to circulate, use yard time, get out of your cell nearly as often after you goto PC. IIRC, you cannot leave PC for general pop once you are in PC.

finding a way to get a slight beating and ending up in protective custody would be the best route for survival. It's also hugely important to have a network of family and friends to write to you and keep you excited about your life 'prospects.'

that site is so much fun

Damn, I had never heard that.. myturn, did you see this going on?

italicized part--gay is gay, and it isn't respected among your general homophobic population. Someone would get alot of props for beating on a gay dude. BTW, just cause a guy rapes another guy in prison, that doesn't mean he is gay. It's weird.

A homosexual man's best plan is to tell the prison counselours his orientation upon admission to the system. They can then farm him out to the appropriate safest place for himself and the guards.

I picked up chess from the books in the minimum security prison. There was a book of standard openings and defenses. There was also a book of great matches from the past. I got a few books from my family, but stopped even trying that route. Many were rejected for their covers or 'lost' in processing. It sucks....oh yeah, your mail is read and sifted through before it is deliverd.

Most people played very slow styles. They had all day to take up.

I enjoyed forcing king's indian or sicilian dragon on my opponents there as it went against the grain. I by now means was ever that good. With a year time of tooling with it, I was upto mid 1600s.